1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the process of printing and more particularly to an improved process for printing a document such as a negotiable instrument in a first color and a second color for enhancing the security of the document.
2. Background of the Invention
The fraudulent use of monetary instruments such as checks, drafts, bonds and the like has presented a significant problem to both the financial community and the general population. Currently, the annual estimated cost of check fraud is between $10 and $20 billion dollars. There are two primary forms of check fraud. The first is counterfeiting, which is the unauthorized photocopying or other reproduction of an otherwise valid check. The second is alteration, which is the reliance on an otherwise valid check and the attempts either through chemical or mechanical means to alter an item on the otherwise valid check. The difference between these two forms of check fraud are important, since the identification and preventive measures utilized to combat one form of fraud may not effectively address the other form.
Through the years, many devices have been developed to prevent check fraud. However, as technology has progressed, so has the sophistication of the perpetrators of check frauds, thereby requiring more sophisticated prevention methods. The advent of powerful personal computers, copy machines, color copiers, scanners and printers has enabled the production of high quality counterfeit monetary instruments. Some attempts to deter the proliferation of fraudulent checks are addressed by the following inventions.
U.S. Pat. No. 592,533 to Rogers et al. discloses an invention comprising a check marking device. The object of the device is to provide a new and simple means for impressing upon the paper of checks, drafts, or similar documents in non-erasable characters the values of the documents. The present invention raises and breaks the fiber of the paper similarly to that of high embossing, while not necessarily puncturing or perforating the paper.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,065,605 to Moore discloses an invention relating to negotiable instrument safety paper. The primary object of the invention resides in the provision of a safety paper for checks, promissory notes, drafts, bonds and the like upon which is provided a novel arrangement of ink-bearing surfaces which make alterations or changes in such instruments, after they have been finally drafted, difficult if not impossible to perform without showing that the paper has been tampered with or altered in some manner from its original form.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,804,821 to Misuraca teaches an invention relating to check protecting means and more particularly to an inexpensive and reliable form thereof. An object of the present invention is to provide a check protecting stamp which will impose a design over the space on a check containing the name of the payee and the amount so that any attempt to change either the name or the amount will so deface the check as to make it impossible to avoid evidence of such tampering.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,175,774 to Tonges et al. teaches a document with a background printed thereon which includes a first portion formed of small dots and a second portion formed of larger dots. The larger dots are of a size that is reproduced by a copying machine. The small dots are of a size that is not reproduced by the copying machine. When a copy is made, only the larger dots reproduce so that the copy is readily distinguishable from the original.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,186,943 to Lee discloses a sheet element, such as a banknote or other document of intrinsic value, incorporating an optical authenticating device comprising a thin film element in the form of a strip, or thread disposed within the thickness of the sheet element and having known characteristics of spectral reflectance and transmittance. A region of a least part of the thin film element the sheet element is formed with a pair of superposed windows between which the thin film element extends so as to be visible through each window.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,510,225 to Kuehnle et al. teaches an opaque reflective print copy produced by transferring via heat and pressure, an electrophotographically formed toner image to a presoftened transparent thermoplastic thin layer carried bonded to an opaque substrate. The print is formed of at least one generally planar toner image layer embedded in the plastic layer near the outer surface thereof. The light illuminating the print enters the thin layer and is reflected from the interface between the layer and the substrate, passing through the toner particles as well as being reflected from the toner particles themselves, whereby to provide an image having greater depth intensity and contrast than can be obtained using silver halide photographic film, all without distortion of the image, loss in density or loss in resolution. The substrate may have smooth or roughened surface, and may be selected from plain or coated paper, metal, stone, stretchable and/or inflatable media as well as irregularly shaped objects. Successive toner images may be applied superimposed one on the other in layers and in registry by softening the thermoplastic layer after transfer thereto of one toner image and applying the next toner image thereto. The intermediate heating embeds the toner image and readies the receptor to receive the next toner image.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,348 to Mowry, Jr. discloses a document protected against alteration comprising a sheet of paper having, on its face, an area in which numerals representing a sum of money to be paid on the document are printed. The area has a left end and a right end, and the entire length of the area, from the left end to the right end, is filled with printing so that unauthorized insertions cannot be made in the area.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,267,753 to Chock teaches a bank draft form incorporating a hologram as an anti-counterfeit measure. The hologram may extend over a substantial portion of the bank draft form, including the signature entry area and other data entry areas of the form, e.g. the date, payee, and amount areas. The hologram includes an outer layer of a transparent layer of ink compatible material over such areas. The transparent layer of ink compatible material allows the drawer to affix his or her signature within the signature entry area and to enter the various terms of the draft, e.g. the date, amount, payee etc. Writing upon the ink compatible surface of the hologram partially occults the hologram underneath such writing and may cause the embossed surface of the hologram to become etched. The partial effacing of the hologram increases the difficulty of its duplication by a counterfeiter. If the hologram extends over portions of the bank draft form other than the signature entry area and the data entry areas, selected portions of the hologram outside such areas may have a transparent layer of ink incompatible material. A transparent layer of ink incompatible material may serve to protect such areas of the hologram from fingerprints, accidental marking, etching, and the like. Optionally, after the holographic bank draft form is completed and executed, the holographic portion may then be covered with a protective laminate so as to prevent its alteration.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,271,644 to Merry et al. discloses a security-printing device comprising a substrate; a toner image adhered to the substrate; and a layer of an optically variable material adhered solely to the toner image. The optically variable material is selected to provide a distinct visual appearance and is not readily reproducible or readily available in the general market-place.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,291,243 to Heckman et al. teaches a system for printing security documents which have copy detection or tamper resistance in plural colors with a single pass electronic printer printing an integrated image controlled by an image generation system which electronically generates a safety background image pattern with first and second interposed color patterns which are electronically merged with alphanumeric information and a protected signature into an integrated electronic image for the printer. The single pass printer preferably has an imaging surface upon which two latent images thereof are interposed, developed with two differently colored developer materials, and simultaneously transferred to the substrate in a single pass. The color patterns are preferably oppositely varying density patterns of electronically generated pixel dot images with varying spaces therebetween. Preferably a portion of the alphanumeric information is formed by a special secure font, such as a low density shadow copy. The validating signature also preferably has two intermixed color halftone patterns with halftone density gradients varying across the signature in opposite directions, but differently from the background. Also electronically superimposed in the safety background pattern may be substantially invisible latent image pixel patterns which becomes visible when copied, and/or are machine readable even in copies.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,445,418 to Blend teaches a security paper having a number of parallel lines having a substantially uniform first spacing, irregularly interrupted by a plurality of stripes having a second spacing greater than the first spacing, flexographically printed on at least one face of a web which becomes, after further processing, a security document such as a bank check. The parallel lines typically are substantially straight and of substantially uniform thickness and formed of flexo ink, such as the type which becomes invisible when bleached. Alphanumeric indicia are preferably provided within the stripes either oriented parallel to the parallel lines (and alternately extending from top to bottom, and bottom to top), or perpendicular to the parallel lines. A pattern is provided that repeats at an interval significantly greater than the length of the security document formed from the security paper. At least one of the faces of the security document, typically the face opposite that having the parallel lines, has readable alphanumeric indicia appropriate for a security document imaged on it. The web on which the flexographic printing and imaging takes place is ultimately cut into individual security documents or sets of security documents, with the interval of a security pattern about 15–17 inches, and the length of the security document about 5.5–12 inches. The web may be taken up and shipped to another location after flexographic printing and tensioning to stretch the pattern, prior to imaging of the security document indicia.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,538,290 to Diamond teaches a method and apparatus for enhancing the security of a check or negotiable document and deterring the generation of copies of the check or negotiable document. The signature area of a document is imprinted with a pantographic background design different from a pantographic background design covering the remainder of the face of a check. A warning clause describes the color and/or background of the signature area. The endorsement area of a document is also imprinted with a pantographic background design. A warning clause describes the color and/or background of the endorsement area. The endorsement area background may further include a representation of the watermark certification seal to aid an individual in more quickly determining whether the proper watermark seal exist on the check or negotiable document.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,508 Diamond discloses to a method and apparatus for enhancing the security of a check or negotiable document and deterring the generation of copies of the check or negotiable document. The signature area of a document is imprinted with a pantographic background design different from a pantographic background design covering the remainder of the face of a check. A warning clause describes the color and/or background of the signature area. The endorsement area of a document is also imprinted with a pantographic background design. A warning clause describes the color and/or background of the endorsement area. The endorsement area background may further include a representation of the watermark certification seal to aid an individual in more quickly determining whether the proper watermark seal exist on the check or negotiable document.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,641,183 to Diamond discloses a method and apparatus for enhancing the security of a check or negotiable document and deterring the generation of copies of the check or negotiable document. The signature area of a document is imprinted with a pantograph background design different from a pantograph background design covering the remainder of the face of a check. A warning clause describes the color and/or background of the signature area. The endorsement area of a document is also imprinted with a pantograph background design. A warning clause describes the color and/or background of the endorsement area.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,762,378 to Phillips teaches a pattern of fine slits formed in the material of document where sensitive information is intended to be printed or imprinted wherein the slit pattern modifies the tensile strength of the substrate. In addition, the slit pattern modifies the toner or ink permeability of a substrate to facilitate the penetration of the toner or ink printed or imprinted on the surface of document into the substrate. Further, the design of the slit pattern can be coordinated with a latent image pattern to comprise optical properties such that the physical response of a typical duplicating or photocopy device to the validation mark will allow a copy to be easily discerned from an original.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,785,353 to Diamond discloses a negotiable document includes enhanced security for deterring the fraudulent photocopying of the subject negotiable document. A first pantographic design is imprinted as the general background of the front face of a check and a second pantographic background design is imprinted in the amount line and in the signature line. The enhanced security document of the present invention further includes a muted warning phrase of a first dot size incorporated in the first pantographic design and a muted warning phrase of a second dot size incorporated in the second pantographic background design. Alternatively, it will be understood that a similar warning phrase may be generated with a different first and second size dot density or line density instead of a first dot size and a second dot size. By using a plurality of line densities, or dot densities, or dot sizes for the warning phrases, an unauthorized individual will be unable to adjust a photocopier to mask a single warning phrase.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,823,576 to Lambert teaches a document that resists copying by ordinary color copiers and color scanners. An area that is printed with color dots using a gradient print screen that exceeds resolutions available on commonly available color copiers and color scanners. The area may therefore comprise lighter regions (having fewer screen lines per inch) and darker regions (having more screen lines per inch). Multiple colors may be printed with different gradient print screens, and regions which are darker or lighter for a first color may or may not be darker or lighter for a second color. The document may also comprise a second area that is printed with a moire pattern. The moire pattern may be generated by adjusting an angle between a pair of print screens, such as a pair of gradient print screens. A set of colors for printing may avoid common printing ink colors, may prefer yellow, light green, or light blue, and may avoid red, purple, or violet, to raise the difficulty in copying by color copiers or color scanners. A top layer of the area may be covered with a layer of matte varnish or transparent white ink.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,917,996 to Thorpe discloses a system for single-pass printing of a tamper-resistant, electronic form character on a print media sheet. The system includes a printing subsystem and a character generation subsystem communicating with the printing subsystem. The character generation subsystem includes (1) a database for storing a plurality of tamper-resistant, composite electronic form characters, each of the plurality of tamper-resistant, composite electronic form characters including an electronic form character overlaying a security background, and (2) a character manager for retrieving a selected one of the plurality of tamper-resistant, composite electronic form characters from the database in response to an instruction provided by the printing subsystem to the character manager, the selected one of the plurality of tamper-resistant, composite electronic form characters being transmitted to the printing subsystem for single-pass printing thereof on the print media sheet.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,975,583 to Cobben et al. discloses a carrier representing value provided with recognizable pattern, for instance in the form of giro checks, bankchecks, banknotes, shares, bonds and other documents representing a value, wherein the patterns are formed by parts treated by means of a laser beam. This object is reached in that the patterns have been provided by means of a laser light beam. The use of a laser beam makes it possible to apply particularly fine structures which either cannot be applied with other treating methods, or only with the greatest financial effort. The use of laser beams enables variation of the width or depth of the channels or perforations which is almost impossible with other treating methods.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,984,364 to Diamond teaches a negotiable document including enhanced security for deterring the fraudulent photocopying of the subject negotiable document. The present invention includes at least one true fourdrinier watermark and/or at least one artificial watermark comprising a fingerprint and a visually perceptible watermark representation for comparison with the watermark to determine the validity of the negotiable document. The visually perceptible representation is printed with thermochromatic ink. When the visually perceptible representation is rubbed with a live human hand, heat is transferred to the thermochromatic ink. The visually perceptible representation will fade and disappear as the ink is heated by the rubbing action and heat of the hand. The negotiable document further includes a warning clause notifying the user of the disappearing properties of the visually perceptible representation.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,089,610 to Greene discloses a security system for a document utilizing a plurality of fluorescent snippets on the document with other encryption data printed thereon with visible and invisible ink that becomes bright when subjected to certain light. The system combines visible and invisible data that is encrypted, totaled and when subjected to a algorithm will match a selected component of the data.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,233,340 to Sandru teaches an apparatus and method for enhancing the security of selected information associated with a negotiable document, such as the monetary value of a check. In the invention, one or more security features are printed or applied onto the check. One such security feature is an encrypted control code. The preferred embodiment employs a secret key cryptographic scheme to encrypt the monetary value and thereby generate a first control code which is printed on tile check. When the check is presented for payment, a validator, such as bank or check clearing house, employs a verification system having a copy of the encryption key to read the monetary value from the check and re-encrypt it according to the scheme to generate a second control code. The check is not honoured if the first and second control codes are not identical. Another security feature is a security image, composed, for instance, from a foreground image of the monetary value superimposed over a background motif image. The security image has a number of hidden attributes, such as the relative aspect ratios, absolute and relative dimensions of the underlying foreground and background images, that are preselected and used when printing the security image. When the check is presented for payment a teller can visually inspect the security image for compliance with certain of the preselected attributes. The preferred validation system can also electronically scan the security image for the hidden attributes. This comparison makes it difficult for a forger to copy, for instance, the monetary value of the check and add a significant digit to it because some of the foregoing preselected image attributes are liable to change and be detected. The composite image serves as a back-up security when verification of the encrypted control code is not possible.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,530,601 to Greene teaches a security system for a document utilizing a plurality of fluorescent snippets on the document with other encryption data printed thereon with visible and invisible inks that becomes bright when subjected to certain light. The system combines visible and invisible data that is encrypted, totaled and when subjected to an algorithm will match a selected component of the data.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,549,624 to Sandru teaches an apparatus and method for enhancing the security of selected information associated with a negotiable document, such as the monetary value of a check. In the invention, one or more security features are printed or applied onto the check. One such security feature is an encrypted control code. The preferred embodiment employs a secret key cryptographic scheme to encrypt the monetary value and thereby generate a first control code which is printed on the check. When the check is presented for payment, a validator, such as bank or check clearing house, employs a verification system having a copy of the encryption key to read the monetary value from the check and re-encrypt it according to the scheme to generate a second control code. The check is not honored if the first and second control codes are not identical. Another security feature is a security image, composed, for instance, from a foreground image of the monetary value superimposed over a background motif image. The security image has a number of hidden attributes, such as the relative aspect ratios, absolute and relative dimensions of the underlying foreground and background images, that are preselected and used when printing the security image. When the check is presented for payment a teller can visually inspect the security image for compliance with certain of the preselected attributes. The preferred validation system can also electronically scan the security image for the hidden attributes.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a process of printing a document in a first color and a second color that provides a significant advancement in the document security art.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a process of printing a document in a first color and a second color that for increasing the security of the document by making the document more tamper evident.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a process of printing a document in a first color and a second color that is useful for increasing the security of negotiable instruments such as checks.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a process of printing a document in a first color and a second color that provides highly secure documents with the use of existing printing devices for with little or no modification.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a process of printing a document in a first color and a second color that provides highly secure documents with the use of conventional paper.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the present invention. These objects should be construed as being merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the invention. Many other beneficial results can be obtained by modifying the invention within the scope of the invention. Accordingly other objects in a full understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the summary of the invention, the detailed description describing the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.